In the translation world, there are eight types of translation: literal, adaptive, functional, equivalent, idiomatic, phrasal, semantical and cultural. Each type has its own benefits and drawbacks. Let’s explore each one in more detail!
Literal translation is exactly what it sounds like – translating a text word-for-word. This can be useful for scientific or technical documents where precision is key, but can often lead to awkward or confusing results in other types of text.
Adaptive translation is the opposite of literal translation, and involves taking creative liberties with the source text to make it more readable or understandable in the target language. This approach is often used in marketing or advertising materials, where persuasive language is important.
Functional translation focuses on translating the functionality of a text, rather than its meaning. This approach is often used for things like user manuals or instructions, where it’s important that the reader can understand how to use something after reading the translation.
Equivalent translation is all about finding the closest equivalent in the target language for every element in the source text. This approach can be useful for things like legal documents, where precision is important.
Idiomatic translation takes into account the idioms and expressions that are used in the source language and tries to find corresponding idioms in the target language. This approach is often used for literary texts, where preserving the author’s style is important.
Phrasal translation focuses on translating phrases rather than individual words. This approach can be useful for things like slogans or catchphrases, where the meaning of a phrase is more important than the meaning of each individual word.
Semantical translation is all about translating the meaning of a text, rather than the words themselves. This approach is often used for things like philosophical texts, where understanding the author’s intent is more important than translating every word accurately.
Cultural translation takes into account the cultural context of a text and tries to find equivalents in the target culture. This approach is often used for things like historical documents, where it’s important to maintain the cultural context of the original text.
